1. Technical Field
The invention relates to electric connectors, particularly to connectors combining USB and eSATA interfaces.
2. Related Art
With development of the semiconductor technology and internet, mass storage devices with larger capacity and faster data transfer rate become focuses of the industries. The eSATA (External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) and USB (Universal Serial Bus) have been the most popular interfaces.
The eSATA and USB have their respective specifications and protocols, so proprietary cables and connectors were absolutely required before. However, an integrated connector which combines eSATA and USB specifications appears in the market in recent years. Taiwan patent No. M369570 discloses such an integrated connector. This connector includes: a first fixing device for fixing a first pin set and a second pin set and a second fixing device for fixing a third pin set. The two fixing devices are overlappedly accommodated in a housing. The pin sets can separately support eSATA, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 specifications for connecting distinct cables.
The above patent uses the first and second fixing devices to fix the first pin sets (eSATA specification) and the second pin set with the third pin set (USB 2.0/3.0). It must be composed of many components and occupy a considerable space. Thus it is difficult to be applied in thin and light-weight electronic devices.